your speed? the vehicle you were passing

ours is a light weight bike ive had cross winds send me into the left lane and end my days riding

Good grief, more possibilities?

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1180436373/15

Wheel imbalance wobble at certain speeds?! Windshields (not applicable) ?! Mudflaps?! MUDFLAPS!!!! You've got to be kidding?! Weight distribution.... Basically anything under the sun can cause me to wobble-- possibly even my own riding technique, or lack thereof

Will I ever get this figured out?

It's not much of a wobble, just a little wobble back and forth once or twice, and that's it. It's like an instability arises that causes it to wobble just a little bit. Not scary or unnerving, just concerning.

It's the "this could be a problem" idea. It's very noticeable, so it's not nothing. It's not all in my head. It is short of the "I'm gonna die" feeling, though. But then, it doesn't last long enough for that.

+1,..Kris...
Firmer suspension, and heavier oil, will help a bit. too...
...but,... this is a light bike... at speed, the front end will get lighter, and as wind pulls your arms, you lighten it more...
If you feel the front end getting light,... use your weight... lean forward... put you head toward the bars...

A light bike has many advantages... acceleration, control, ease of maneuvering... but, you ride it, more than ride upon it...

When I ride my Sportster,... I'm 145lbs on a 600lb machine... It don't know I'm there...
...
...on my Savage,... I have much more control...
...but, I have to exert that control...
When outside elements influence it, my input is required, and that point comes sooner on a light bike than a heavy one...

A fun experiment,.. is to find a decent set of curves on a seldom traveled road... and run it back and forth...
Be safe...
...but slowly increase speed, until stresses are induced...
Then, try subtle corrections... lean into the turn a bit... stick a knee out just a little... shift your weight forward... apply throttle...
DON"T.. push things into a crash!... let the progress happen comfortably and naturally, without inducing fear...
Not 2 or 3 passes... 20 or30... spend a couple hours, take a few breaks... the slightest nervous moment... go home...
Come back next week... and start again...
DON"T keep pushing until you crash!...
Just practice,.. until you can go as fast as is safe for that road,.. and still be able to make a correction if something unexpected happens...

Any time you are riding on a public road... you want to be going at a safe enough speed to make a correction in case of, obstacle, animal, hazard, or other driver...
Never ride at 100% of your ability...
..(all my solo street crashes, have been pushing past 80% of my ability, and hitting an unexpected obstacle)...
Point is,.. they weren't because I went faster than I could handle.  I just went faster than was within a safe margin...

I'm rambling...
Try leaning forward a little... put some weight on the front end...
Your bike is trying to take-off...

Watch this...   Ride safe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3OQTU-kE2s

The high speed weave in the video seems similar to what I've been having, but mine goes away very quickly. The effect is very brief. It's like a short little duh-dh (to describe the motion with words), and it's over. It only lasts 2 or (possibly) 3 motions before it corrects itself.

The speaker suggests that a worn rear with new (racing) front  makes things worse. Hmmm.... I've got a worn rear and new front. The front and racing, and the rear ain't squared off, but it might be enough to be an issue. Put that with a sloppy fork for instability, and who knows?

I weigh 200 lb. If I were lighter, what would happen?

Maybe this is why people like heavy bikes at high speeds.

Is the high speed weave influenced by both the suspension and the tire?

At the same time?

chzeckmate wrote on 01/03/16 at 00:20:30:


I'm not sure exactly if the man in the video believed that all bikes had this issue, but he did say it has to do with weight, and I think he said that it was not unusual for a well-tuned bike to have it. The Savage is under 400 lb wet, and I am 6'1, so my height could be an issue due to weight distribution. As I said, my weight ought to help, but my weight distribution may not be the best. This may help in part to explain why I have a natural tendency to lean forward a little at speed.

I actually ride with a backpack.

How much it weighs is another question. Yesterday, I had one of those massive U-shaped bicycle locks (don't use it much). I need a disc lock. I also had my work shoes in there, my hat, and a few little things. Not a whole lot, in other words.